Hulk Hogan says he ‘totally understands’ O.J.
Former wrestler says he doesn’t condone Simpson’s actions
Access Atlanta staff
Friday, April 17, 2009
Former wrestler Hulk Hogan has told Rolling Stone magazine that he could “totally understand” O.J. Simpson and “could have turned everything into a crime scene like O.J., cutting everybody’s throat” upon learning that his soon-to-be ex-wife left him for a younger man.
Hogan is in the middle of a bitter divorce from his wife Linda, who were both the subject of a VH-1 reality series called “Hogan Knows Best.” Linda Hogan filed for divorce in 2007 after almost 25 years of marriage and currently lives in the $18 million mansion that the couple once shared. She has been romantically linked to a 19-year-old boy who used to go to high school with her daughter, according to Rolling Stone.
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Hulk Hogan spoke to Rolling Stone magazine about his state of mind during a bitter divorce from his wife Linda.
The magazine hits newsstands on Friday. The New York Post first leaked the quotes in its Page 6 feature on Wednesday.
In a Thursday news release, a spokesman for Linda Hogan said that the quote amounts to a death threat. The full text of Linda’s response:
“Hulk thinks he can do whatever he wants, to whomever he wants, whenever he wants. He is your classic narcissist who demands total control and will go to ANY extent necessary to get it. His violent and scary mood swings have been my nightmare for too many years. I hope for the sake of our kids that he gets the psychological help for himself and the safety of others.”
The news release also included this statement by Linda’s spokesman Gary Smith:
“For those who buy his claim the comment was taken out of context, read the rest of Rolling Stone and determine for yourself if his suicidal tendencies coupled with the use of drugs and alcohol make him a danger. His actions in the past years have been very disturbing. Linda wants all of this to be over so she can move on with her life.”
Hulk Hogan’s lawyer David Houston responded to the controversy by telling CNN that quote was “part of a larger conversation to exemplify degrees of emotional turmoil.” Houston further told TMZ that “Page 6 only quoted a very small portion of the Rolling Stone article, not the statement in its entirety. He said that he understands the frustration that can lead to that sort of activity but he definitely does not condone it.”
Hulk Hogan himself briefly responded to a TMZ photographer who asked about his quotes in Rolling Stone: “I spent three days with a writer for Rolling Stone talking about being positive and happy and walking in the spirit of Christ. And he asked me, ‘Well, why didn’t you flip out?’ Well, I didn’t jump off the Empire State building, I didn’t buy a white Bronco. I didn’t do the O.J. Simpson thing. I took the high road. … I’m not focused on Linda anymore.”
